How to DO Keto (and NOT CHEAT)

If you’ve decided to transition into the Ketogenic lifestyle, I’ve got some simple tips for you to help you stay on track with your new low carb way of life.

When you’re first getting started, you’ll want to avoid the pitfall of extreme hunger that eating more carb-centric can create. Sitting in traffic feeling the panic of a blood sugar crash will quickly have taking the nearest exit to fast-food-ville, so you must plan ahead. The way to do this of course is to have keto-stashes with you and around you at all times, to keep the hunger monster at bay. (Keep in mind, that the further you get on this journey the less likely you are to need the kinds of emergency foods.)

Start thinking about which keto-friendly foods you might want to add into your lifestyle. Can’t get enough bacon or hamburgers? Find eggs to be excellent? Enjoy an afternoon snack of nuts or cheese? Enjoy celery or cucumbers with cream cheese?

Once you’ve pictured your new and enjoyable way of eating, make a list. Take your list to the grocery store and put those things in your cart. Then go home, stock your fridge, make any necessary preparations, and enjoy these keto diet selections throughout the day as needed. Simple, right?

Keep the grocery list going.

You really don’t want to run out of your favorite food supplies when trying to this lifestyle. So if you have a list in plain sight, posted in the kitchen, then you or whomever does the grocery shopping in your house can quickly grab it on their way out to the store and you won’t run low on your favorite, keto-friendly foods and supplies. Because you know that as soon as things run out is when you find yourself in a compromised eating situation! I keep a running list in my cart at Walmart’s Grocery site, it’s super easy.

Get a small cooler.

This can be the traditional plastic kind, such as the Playmate, or you can also try a small, vinyl lined lunch box. You can bring your to-go keto lunch and snack items to work with you. It doesn’t matter if you work in an office, travel about during the course of your work day, or conduct most of your business out of a company vehicle. The cooler can be key to having take-along, keto-friendly foods to sustain your hunger as needed, especially if you plan to keep dairy foods with you.

Freezer packs.

Some of your keto-friendly foods will need to be kept cold, so you want to make sure you’re fully stocked with freezer packs. Get around 4 of them, this way if you accidentally leave one someplace, such as in a friend’s freezer, you’ll still have backup. Don’t forget to put your cold packs back in the freezer at the end of the day. You can just pop them into your handy food cooler in the morning and be on your way.

Storage containers.

Small ones are better, as they’ll fit into your lunch cooler and you can portion out different types of foods for snacking throughout the day. Some people who are concerned about the dangers of plastic may want to pick up some stacking glass containers with lids. You can also keep some recycled plastic storage containers handy that you won’t mind parting with. Chinese restaurants often serve food in those white or black plastic containers with the clear, snap-on lids. These can be great to have as back-up, and if you need to throw one out, it won’t be a big deal.

Plastic Ziploc bags.

Again, if plastic isn’t a concern for you then you can take advantage of seal-able plastic bags because they’ll allow you to pack more food into a small space without worrying about leakage and mess. Get a few different sizes, such as sandwich bags, quart bags and gallon bags. Freezer bags, too, will come in handy if you plan to have make-head meals that you can wrap and freeze for quick thawing and microwaving back to life as needed.

Get into the food-prep habit.

About every 5- 7 days, you’ll need to replenish your dwindling ketogenic food supply. This will mean another trip to the store, and some advance cooking and packing up of your favorite foods so that you can grab and go on a busy morning without a lot of fussing and fumbling.

Remember, fail to plan and plan to fail!

About Christy R. Hall

Christy R. Hall is a Wellness Mindset Coach & Emotional Alchemist. She focuses on helping people change their lives from the inside out. She uses hypnosis, Rapid Transformational Therapy (RTT), Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) and Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) to help her clients achieve real and lasting change. Christy says, “When you know how the mind works, it’s easy to make changes.”

Christy fancies herself to be a Jedi Master, a verbal Ninja, and a Mindset Architect. In her free time, she spins yarn (both literally spinning fiber into yarn, as well as, writing), crochets for charity, watches silly cat videos, looks at pictures of Corgis, and plays massively multiplayer online games. Her current favorite is Elder Scrolls Online.